An Italian's Conceited King (IRS Book 3)

Chapter 21

Arsenio Point of View

Damn that Old geezer!

He is such a troublemaker!

How am I going to get out of this arrangement without getting myself into another mess?!

He knew that as a ruling official of the state, I cannot directly refuse the engagement proposal in front of many people whatsoever and he made just the move to get me in his trap.

"Let me be clear with this arrangement, Amico. The moment you get engaged to another woman that is not my sister, you will loose your hands on both my sister and her son." Leo threatened casually, very casually that got on my nerves.

He is clearly enjoying this. Of course he has nothing to loose so like an audience, he is having his fun at my expense.

"I don't intend to. I have to get out of this engagement madness before it even started." Rubbing my rough stubble chin, I started to see over the strategies and their consequences in long term.

"Did you check up with Val about the evidence she has on the culprit?" I asked pulling down my reading glasses.

Leo has been a great help over years of our friendship and not just with dealing with Val but also with my personal issues as well, he helped from the background a lot.

He is an insensitive jerk, but the jerk has a thing or two for me in his heart; the very reason we could still maintain our relationship even after divorcing Val.

He was angry at first when Val cried in his arms over my infidel nature. He punched me to pulp before I could explain my stand in the situation. Although he did not approve of the way I chose to keep Val out of danger, he still understood.

"Idon't think Val knows about the identity of the culprit. She indeed seems to have something in her hands but she did not tell me anything about it."

"You know what I'm surprised of, Val is a kind of woman who would still choose to help the man who cheated on her if she knew he was in danger."

"But she did not tell anyone of us regarding that which means, she either has something big that kept her in a tight spot or she knows something that she thinks is not much enough."

"True. Leo, what happened with the stash funds we were preparing?"

"There are about nine large sized islands that are purchased and now they are looking to purchase the cluster of islands in the south pacific. I moved all the stash into the purchase. If I was able to have the largest hold on the cluster, you can have an easy battle with them."

"The other nine islands, Val can take care of them. With the amount of share percentage she has, she can make small underhand arrangements." I said to which Leo nodded positively.

The Funding center is a powerful organization and with the backup of the property investments firm they managed to build, together they are almost invincible. So going against them as a competitor would be foolish on my part.

If I have to shackle every brick of their foundation, then I have to stay with them rather than going against them. It is much effective and safer that way.

"Let's do this, Leo. Take out the second stash of secret funds as well and use them to purchase the cluster all by yourself."

Leo thought for a moment and smirked when the meaning behind my words hit him.

"You mean to say, you want to attack from both the ends! Not bad." Leo smirked giving me a nod of appreciation.

"Right, If you, with the guise of your secret source, push to purchase the islands all by yourself, then the board members would be shaken by the sudden anonymous rivalry. But can they choose to loose the cluster in the south pacific? Not at all, when they provide not just natural resources but also the underwater mine that is not discovered by the government yet."